Skift Originals

Is KnowDelay a feature or a standalone company? Officials acknowledge that it is probably a feature, but it looks like a compelling one.

Hotels in the economy segment have more at risk on user review sites, but would be wise to leverage the information found on the sites to address specific failures.

A startup doesn't have to be the next Expedia, TripAdvisor or Kayak to become a good business, but finding one sure would be like manna from heaven.

Verified reviews are one thing, but when user-review sites make claims about their services, they'd better be sure they can corroborate their boasts.

Hurricane Sandy brought to a light a lesser-known function for the popular booking app as a disaster relief tool.

Competition is growing against Zipcar, especially in local markets, but its recent successful expansion in Spain and Austria gives investors confidence for further growth efforts.

Priceline is buying a much smaller, younger travel tech company in Kayak, but one that has earned a lot of fans for its innovation.

The culture clash between relatively button-down Priceline and sometimes sockless and irreverent Kayak couldn't be more stark. But Kayak will operate semi-independently and the merger may finally help Kayak become the global brand that Priceline's Boyd thinks it can become.

It will take couple of quarters before the deal closes, so Kayak will still have couple of opportunities to report separate earnings.

With 3.1 million downloads of its mobile apps in the third quarter (bringing total to over 20 million overall), and increasing prowess in monetizing queries from smartphones, Kayak is certainly a leader in mobile within the travel industry.